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The folk section covers a broad spectrum of mostly American folk (traditional and contemporary), folk-rock, singer-songwriter and indie recordings. Primarily, you can expect to find music which strikes at the heart of the folk tradition, where we spotlight innovative songwriters and performers who've laid the groundwork for the great folk tradition and who help to maintain that tradition today.

You'll find acoustic music here, as well as bands playing traditional music with electric guitars and bands playing new music on traditional instruments. Old-style folk meets rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and other stuff with its roots in folk traditions. Explore this section to find a tasty selection of musical possibilities.

While some people argue that "folk music" is by definition limited solely to traditional pieces, we have been reminded by others that songwriting itself is a proud tradition. If new music isn't being written and performed to expand the dog-eared playbook, those old songs are in danger of becoming hackneyed and worn-out cliches.

For folk music from the Canadian Maritimes, look here.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lindsay Mac
• Small Revolution (2005)

Pol MacAdaim
• If We Don't Help Them Now (2002)

MacAlias
• Highwired (2000)

Connie MacAskill
• Closer to Home (2001)

Ewan MacColl & A.L. Lloyd
• Blow Boys Blow: Songs of the Sea (2006)

Mickey MacConnell
• Joined Up Writing (2000)
• Peter Pan & Me (2005)

Buddy MacDonald
• Getting Dark Again, with John Ferguson (1996)
• We Remember You Well (2000)
• performance review (2001)
• Live: A Night at the Pub (2002)

David Ross MacDonald
• Far From Here (2004)
• Knuckled Brass & Bone (2006)

Rod MacDonald
• Into the Blue (1999)

Sheila MacDonald
• Half Light (2011)
• Tangle of Trees (2014)

Mary MacGowan
• Morning Glory (2010)

Bill Mackechnie
• Famous (1999)

MacKenzie & Adkins
• MacKenzie & Adkins (2019)

Bob MacKenzie
• Assume Nothing (1999)

Catherine MacLellan
• Water in the Ground (2009)

Kate MacLeod
• Breakfast (2005)
• Blooming (2009)
• Deep in the Sound of Terra (2017)

Kate MacLeod & Kat Eggleston
• Lost & Found (2011)

Mac MacLeod
• The Incredible Musical Odyssey of the Original Hurdy Gurdy Man (2003)

Scott Macmillan
• The Minnie Sessions, Vol. 1-3 (1996-98)

Rita MacNeil
• Mining the Soul, with the Men of the Deeps (2000)
• Common Dream (2002)
• Blue Roses (2004)

Cyril MacPhee
• Back on Track (2001)

Malcolm MacWatt
• Dark Harvest (2024)

Mad Agnes
• Magic Hour (2003)

Sandy Madaris
• Way Back Home (2002)

Mad Buffalo
• Wilderness (2008)
• Red & Blue (2012)

Rylee Madison
• The Life of Rylee (2002)

Madison Violet
• No Fool for Trying (2009)

Madrigal
• Elemental Grace (2000)
• Reverie (2001)

Maggi, Pierce & E.J.
• For (2000)

Magic Car
• Yellow Main Sequence (2001)
• Family Matters (2005)

Emily Maguire
• Keep Walking (2007)

The Mailman's Children
• Maritime Sun (2001)
• Stranger Thing (2002)

Dave Mallett
• Ambition (1999)

Nathaniel Maloney
• Old Empty Farmhouse (2004)

The Malvinas
• I'm Not Like This (2002)
• Love, Hope & Transportation (2004)

Mama's Broke
• Narrow Line (2022)
•  Reunion (2026)

Mandolinquents
• Dance of the Comedians (2007)

Tom Mank
• Almost Time (2000)
• Conversations in Waves, with Sera Jane Smolen (2001)
• Souls of Birds, with Sera Jane Smolen (2004)

Aimee Mann
• Bachelor No. 2 (or The Last Remains of the Dodo) (2000)

Bill Mann
• Your Heart Knows (1998)

Harry Manx & Kevin Breit
• Jubilee (2003)
• In Good We Trust (2007)
• Strictly Whatever (2011)

Mara & David
• Sixteen Secrets (2007)

D.L. Marble
• Not the One (2012)

Marblemouth
• Gasoline (2002)

Jayne Margo-Reby
• Shades of Reason (1999)

Katie Marie
• Been Here Before (2002)

Marienne
• The Mortal Moon (1994)

Samuel Markus
• No Mission (2006)

Marley's Ghost
• Spooked (2006)
• Honky Tonk (2026)

Sara Marlowe
• A World to Win: Songs from the Struggle for Global Justice (2002)
• Times Like These (2004)

Erynn Marshall & Friends
• Tune Tramp (2013)

Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones
• Sweet Memories ... Never Leave (2015)

Amy Martin
• To You (2000)
• This Fall (2002)

Nappy Martin & Friends
• Steady Through the Storm (2001)

Jed Marum
• Streets of Fall River (2000)
• Soul of a Wanderer (2002)
• Fighting Tigers of Ireland (2004)
• Miles from Home (2005)
• Cross Over the River (2006)
• Lone Star Stout (2007)
• Ain't No Goin' Back (2008)
• Sands of Aberdeen (2008)
• Rejoice (2011)

Tina Marzola
• She's Ready (1998)

Dana Mase
• Through the Concrete & The Rocks (1998)

Brent Mason
• River Songs (1999)

Masontown
• In This Time (2017)

Souad Massi
• Mesk Elil (Honeysuckle) (2005)

Bryan Masters
• Thundar, the Boy Giant (2002)

The Mastersons
• Transient Lullaby (2017)

Kathy Mattea
• Roses (2002)

Iain Matthews
• Pure & Crooked (1990)
• Excerpts from Swine Lake (1999)

Kalle Mattson
• Live in Between (2012)

Roger Matura
• Time Traveller (2005)

Tom May
• Blue Roads, Red Wine (2008)

Maya & the Ruins
• Take This Song With You (2012)

The Maybelles
• Leavin' Town (2007)

John Mayer
• Battle Studies (2009)

Steve Mayone
• Bedroom Rockstar (2004)
• Unfortunate Son (2005)

Simon Mayor
• Winter with Mandolins (1992)
• Music From a Small Island (2006)
• Mandolinquents (2008)

Simon Mayor & Hilary James
• Duos (2001)
• Laughing with the Moon (2004)
• Lullabies with Mandolin (2004)
• Children's Favourites (2005)

Chuck McCabe
• Bad Gravity Day (2002)
• Chicken Dinners (2004)
• Sweet Reunion (2005)
• Creature of Habit (2008)

Eleanor McCain
• Intimate (2001)

Eagle McCall
• Song of the Seas (2012)

Nancy McCallion & the Mollys
• Trouble (2003)

Mary McCandless
• Mary Christmas (2000)
• Lipstick Legend (2004)

Dave McCann & the Ten-Toed Frogs
• Woodland Tea (2000)

Amy McCarley
• Jet Engines (2014)

Mary McCaslin
• The Bramble & the Rose, with Jim Ringer (2000)
• A Life & Time (2004)

Lydia McCauley
• Sabbath Day's Journey (1998)
• Entrances (1999)
• The Beauty of the Earth (2002)
• The Moon of Wintertime (2002)
• ForeignLander (2004)

Laurie McClain
• The Child Behind My Eyes (2002)
• The Trumpet Vine: A Tribute to Kate Wolf (2003)

The McCloskey Brothers Band
• The McCloskey Brothers Band (2002)

Margaret McClure
• Tears for Jack (2005)

Deborah McColl
• Naked in the Garden (2000)

John McCormick
• Between Our Hearts (1998)

Lisa McCormick
• Mystery Girl (2003)

Raymond McCullough
• The Great China Bike Ride (2004)
• Into Jerusalem (2005)

Ed McCurdy
• A Ballad Singer's Choice (1956/2006)

John McCutcheon
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley (1977/2000)
• Storied Ground (1999)
• Supper's on the Table ... Everybody Come In (2001)

Kent McDaniel
• About Time (2000)

Suzanne McDermott
• Out Under the Sky (1999)
• Ephemera (2000)

Kate McDonnell
• Don't Get Me Started (2001)
• Where the Mangoes Are (2005)

Megon McDonough
• American Girl (1990)
• Blue Star Highway (1993)
• Day By Day (1995)
• My One & Only Love (1996)

John McEuen
• Made in Brooklyn (2016)

Eleanor McEvoy
• Yola (2001)
• Special Edition (2003)
• Out There (2006)
• Love Must be Tough (2008)
• Singled Out (2009)

Johnny McEvoy
• Going to California (2003)
• Trilogy (2007)
• Into the Cauldron (2017)

Ian McFeron
• Love Me Blue (2009)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle
• Matapedia (1996)

Yikes McGee
• Protest Songs for the New Millennium (2003)

Patrick McGinley & Family Style
• Patrick, Family & Friends (2001)

Matt McGinn
• The Best of Matt McGinn, Vol. 2 (2003)

Ryan McGiver
• Troubled in Mind (2012)

Reverend TJ McGlinchey
• Tell Me to Stay (2012)

Lili McGovern
• A Bare Calliope (2003)

Tia McGraff
• Day in My Shoes (2007)

Roger McGuinn
• Treasures from the Folk Den (2001)
• Limited Edition (2004)

Danny McGuinness
• Room 809 (2004)

Mark McKay
• Live from the Memory Hotel (2003)
• Shimmer (2005)

Nellie McKay
• Get Away From Me (2004)

Andy McKee
• The Gates of Gnomeria (2007)

Lori McKenna
• Paper Wings & Halo (1997)
• The Kitchen Tapes (2003)

Paul McKenna Band
• Between Two Worlds (2009)
• Elements (2013)

Angela McKenzie
• Nine (2005)

Erin McKeown
• Distillation (2000)

Patrick McKeown
• Passing By (2004)

Susan McKeown
• Bones, with the Chanting House (1996)
• Lowlands (2001)

Jon McKiel
• The Nature of Things (2008)

Dan McKinnon
• Chasing Sunsets (1995)
• Between Wind & Water (1997)
• Songs from the Hearth (2000)
• Fields of Dreams & Glory (2005)

Andrew McKnight
• Turning Pages (2001)
• Beyond Borders (2005)
• Something Worth Standing For (2008)

Sarah McLachlan
• Wintersong (2006)

Jeremiah McLane
• Hummingbird, Ruthie Dornfeld (2002)
• Smile When You're Ready (2003)
• Freetown (2005)

Murray McLauchlan
• Hourglass (2021)

Peter McLaughlin
• Canyoneers, with Chris Brashear (2003)
• The Colton House Sessions: Songs for the Southwest, with Chris Brashear & Todd Phillips (2017)
• Desert Heart Mountain Soul, with Chris Brashear (2021)

Don McLean
• Christmastime! The Complete Collection (2004)
• Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey (2005)

Heather McLeod
• Graffiti Love Songs (1999)

Gary McMahan
• Goin' My Way? (2009)

El McMeen
• The Lea Rig (2001)
• Breakout (2002)
• Dancing the Strings: Celtic to Contemporary (2004)
• The Soul of Christmas Guitar (2004)
• Amazing Grace (2006)
• Strike Up the Band! Classic Band Marches for Fingerstyle Guitar (2020)

Shannon McNally
• Jukebox Sparrows (2002)
• Southside Sessions, with Charlie Sexton (2006)

McNamara & Neeley
• About Time (2009)

Mark McNeil
• Reporter's Notebook (1998)

Liz McNicholl
• Grand Central Station (2002)

Bob McParland
• Unresolved (2002)

Gillie McPherson
• Our Street (2006)

Sarah McQuaid
• The Plum Tree & the Rose (2012)
• If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous (2018)

Jesse McReynolds & Friends
• Songs of the Grateful Dead (2010)
• The Bull Mountain Moonshiners' Way (2019)

Ralph McTell
• The Boy With a Note (1999)

Pamela Means
• Pearls (2000)

Greg Meckes
• Moments of Clarity, Part I (2003)

Kenny Meeks
• Tell My Angel (2000)

Megson
• On the Side (2004)
• Smoke of Home (2007)

Melanie
• Ever Since You Never Heard of Me (2012)

John Mellencamp
• Trouble No More (2003)

Ian Melrose
• Wolves (1994)
• Between the Sighs (1998)

Men of the Deeps
• Diamonds in the Rough (1992)
• Coal Fire in Winter (1996)
• Mining the Soul, with Rita MacNeil (2000)

Todd Menton
• Where Will You Land (2003)

Natalie Merchant
• Motherland (2001)

Michele Mercure
• Giving Up the Ghost (2004)

Michael Merenda
• Election Day (2004)

Wendy Jones Merkley
• Calling Card (1996)

Scott Merritt
• The Detour Home (2002)

Lori Michaels
• The Lilac Testament (2005)

Bob Michel
• The Oysterman's Ball (2004)
• The Farther Shore (2006)

Danny Michel
• Fibsville (1999)

Ramsay Midwood
• Popular Delusions & the Madness of Cows (2006)

The Mighty Rooster
• Red Room (2002)

I. Mihana
• Rust on the Moon (2001)

Carmel Mikol
• In My Bones (2010)

Lynn Miles
• Night in a Strange Town (1998)
• Love Sweet Love (2006)
• tumbleWeedyWorld (2023)

Giulia Millanta
• Dust & Desire (2014)
• The Funambulist (2014)

Bill Miller
• Ghost Dance (2000)

Brian Miller
• Minnesota Lumberjack Songs: Irish & Scottish Music from the North Woods (2011)

Miller Brothers Band
• Tales from Foundry Town (2005)

Buddy & Julie Miller
• Written in Chalk (2009)

Cathy Miller
• Living for the Stars (1998)

Denise Miller & Son
• Crazy Horse (2000)

Ethan Miller & Kate Boverman
• If All the Land Would Rise (2005)

Scott Miller
• Ladies Auxiliary (2017)

Valorie Miller
• Folk Star (2006)

Paul Mills
• The Other Side of the Glass (2006)

Trevor Mills
• Karaoke Cowboy (2003)

Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller
• Deep End Sessions, Volume II (2015)

John Minton
• Going Back to Vicksburg (2004)

Misner & Smith
• Seven Hour Storm (2014)

Misty River
• Rising (2000)
• Live at the Backgate Stage (2001)
• Willow (2004)

Anais Mitchell
• Hadestown (2010)

Joni Mitchell
• Travelogue (2002)

Ryan Mitchell-Smith
• Are You Sitting Comfortably? (2015)

Bill Mize
• Joyful Noise (2002)

Vusa Mkhaya
• Vocalism (2012)

Mojo
• Ardal (2006)

Christine Moll
• Pretty Show (2000)

The Mollys, with Nancy McCallion
• Trouble (2003)

Brian Molnar & the Naked Hearts
• Of the Fall (2011)

Bruce Molsky
• Poor Man's Troubles (2000)
• Contented Must Be (2004)
• Soon Be Time (2006)
• If It Ain't Here When I Get Back (2013)
• Can't Stay Here This a-Way (2016)

Brendan Monaghan
• Unbroken (2018)

Joe Monaghan
• All the Roadside Stops (1997)

Michael Monroe
• A Band in My Own Mind (2000)

The Monroe Brothers
• What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul? (2000)

John Montgomery
• One Step Away (2002)

Little Brother Montgomery
• No Special Rider (1999)

Fred Moolten
• The Way We Are (2000)

Meredith Moon
• Constellations (2023)

Hunter Moore
• Conversations (2001)

Katie Moore
• Only Thing Worse (2007)

Kelly Moore
• Celebrate! (2002)

Moossa
• Get Away (2003)

Frank Morey
• Cold in Hand (2002)
• Made in USA (2006)

Elaine Morgan
• Shine On (2002)

Pamela Morgan
• The Colour of Amber, with Anita Best (1991)
• On a Wing & a Prayer (1996)
• Amber Christmas (1998)
• Seven Years (2002)

Tracie Morgan
• Beyond the Illusion (1998)

Tudur Morgan
• Naw Stryd Madryn (2004)

Cary Morin
• Cradle to the Grave (2017)

Don Morrell
• After All These Years (1999)

Jackie Morris
• Where the Legends Grow Like Weeds (2005)

RB Morris
• Going Back to the Sky (2020)

Angeline Morrison
• The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience (2022)

Cahalen Morrison & Eli West
• Our Lady of the Tall Trees (2012)
• I'll Swing My Hammer with Both My Hands (2014)

Van Morrison
• Down the Road (2002)
• Under Review 1964-1974 (2008)

Bill Morrissey
• Something I Saw or Thought I Saw (2001)
• The Essential Collection (2004)

Phyllis Morrissey
• Woman of the Island (1995)

Kathryn Mostow
• Dreamers Everywhere (2005)

Nana Mouskouri
• Ode to Joy (2002)

Mozaik
• Live from the Powerhouse (2004)

Mr. Love & Justice
• Homeground (2004)

Pete Mroz
• Detachment (2008)

The Mugwumps
• The Mugwumps (2007)

Christina Muir
• Feet First (1996)

Geoff Muldaur
• Blues Boy (2001)
• Penny's Farm (2016), with Jim Kweskin

Zoe Mulford
• Roadside Saints (2006)

Pete Muller
• Just One Lifetime (2002)
• More Than This (2004)

Peter Mulvey
• The Trouble With Poets (2000)
• Ten Thousand Mornings (2002)
• Kitchen Radio (2004)

Donnie Munro
• Heart of America: Across the Great Divide (2006)

John Munro
• Plying My Trade (2007)

Larry Murante
• Water's Edge (2000)

Michael Martin Murphey
• Tall Grass & Cool Water (2011)

Andrew Murray
• Hell or High Water (2005)

David Myles
• Together & Alone (2005)

Gary Myrick
• Waltz of the Scarecrow King (2001)